The less-visited backwater interiors of Kottayam will soon be opened for ferrying cargo and people with the Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) set to commence work on restoring two major water routes that currently lie derelict.
According to officials, the agency has conducted a feasibility study on the 28-km Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal and the 38-km Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha Canal, which have been notified as National Waterway - 8 (NW-8) and the National Waterway - 9 (NW-9).
The findings of the survey, carried out through a selected agency, has been shared with the government for its consideration.
DPR awaited
“We are awaiting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to commence work on the fairway restoration of these designated canals. The proposed works include deepening of critical points, strengthening of the shoulders and construction of jettys, among several other things,” said Mathew George, Director, IWAI.
Among these routes, the Alappuzha-Kottayam-Athirampuzha canal is already open for ferry services, although partially.
The route also serves as a crucial link to move cargo between the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Kottayam and the Kochi Port.
Night navigation
Considering the economic viability of the canal, the previous Union government had approved a proposal for dredging and installing night navigation facilities along the NW-9 at an estimated ₹1.60 crore.
Besides cargo movement, the opening up of the canals will also add to the tourism prospects of the entire backwater region covering the Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, officials added.
“Till a couple of decades ago, scenes of country boats carrying cargo from Kochi and motor boats ferrying passengers were a regular sight along these stretches. But they lost significance overtime with the proliferation of motor vehicles and road networks,” said another official.
Economical means
The primary objective of restoring these routes, he says, is to utilise the region’s backwater network as an economical means of transportation.
Besides these two routes, the Union government has also notified the 28-km Kottayam-Vaikom Canal in the district as the National Waterway-59.
Meanwhile, the 365-km National Waterway-3 that runs through the Kollam-Kozhikode stretch of West Coast Canal remains underutilised even 12 years after its inauguration.
Similarly, the movement of cargo between the Kottayam ICD and the Kochi port through the NW- 9 is also yet to be streamlined, despite the launching of a barge service in February this year. Official sources attributed it to the delay in amending the Transshipment rule to include water route along with the modules on road and rail traffic.